The analytical study of military and business problems to provide responsible commanders and leaders with a scientific basis for decision on action to improve military and business operations. About.com

History of Operations Research

Operations Research (OR), as a discipline, arose from the need to determine
optimal resource allocation and assist decision makers during the Second World
War. Groups of mathematicians, physical scientists, and economists were
assembled during the war to perform studies that would provide quantitative
input for commanders. The results of their efforts were impressive and, soon
thereafter, the commercial sector realized the power of these new planning
techniques.

The use of mathematics to model real world systems was nothing new;
physicists and economists had been doing this for years. What defined this new
field called OR was its focus on the operations of organizations. Not only were
traditional mathematical modeling methods used, such as statistics and
probability, but new modeling methods were created, such as mathematical
programming and queuing theory.

Operations Research Working Group

The Operations Research Working Group (ORWG) is comprised of faculty from four
different USAFA departments: Computer Science, Economics, Management, and Math.
Together they oversee the Operations Research major at
the Academy.